


A Goddamn Christmas Miracle

by notsofriendlyghosts



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cozy Christmas Family Stuff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Lapdance, Lingerie, M/M, Rimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 07:42:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2843411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsofriendlyghosts/pseuds/notsofriendlyghosts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a two-shot fluffy Christmas fic!</p><p>Armin does something a little special for Eren this Christmas, despite his nagging nerves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Armin's Annual Christmas Aneurysm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [9thdoor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/9thdoor/gifts).



> A silly unbeta'd Christmas fic, for shipping_queen.
> 
> Chapter two will be posted tomorrow, or maybe the 26th.
> 
> Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Armin breathed slow and deep, snuggling further into the embrace enveloping him. They hadn't yet lit a fire, so he took all the extra body heat he could get from his position—curled up into Eren's side on the couch. He pulled Eren even closer with an arm across his waist and turned up his head to give the lightly tanned neck a gentle kiss. The arm around his shoulder tightened and he felt a kiss press to the top of his head in return, filling him with a warmth like no other.

It wasn't just the happy feeling of snuggling close to Eren that got to him; it was also the all-encompassing joy of the Christmas season that really warmed his heart. He looked forward to the season every single year; it was a time for family, getting together around good food, and spending time with loved ones.

Everything about the atmosphere filled him with a childlike wonder that had not waned over the years—the soft fall of snow, the smell of a Christmas tree that had been decorated to perfection along with the rest of the house, snuggling close to his boyfriend in a couple of knit Christmas sweaters, sitting by the fire while family enjoyed each other's company. Just _everything_ about it made it so magical and Armin couldn't get enough of it.

A warm smile stretched across Armin's face and he pecked the neck in front of him again. Eren slid his hand over the arm across his stomach and rubbed at it gently, comfortingly. Encouraged, Armin kissed his neck again, making a trail of soft, warm kisses from Eren’s collarbone up toward his sensitive ear.

Eren gripped the arm he had been rubbing in a firm grasp. "Arm'," he warned as he squirmed away from Armin's persistent kisses. "St-stop, that tickles," he laughed.

"I know." Armin smiled into his neck before giving his earlobe a little nip. He shifted himself up more to kiss him on the lips, pulling away when Eren leaned into it.

Eren went to kiss him again, only to get a soft brush of lips when Armin nudged away. Another attempt for a kiss—more contact this time—but Armin still pulled away from the lips trying to chase after his. He laughed at Eren's disgruntled noise and brushed his lips over Eren’s again, letting himself not be as shy as he usually was for once.

"You little _tease_ ," Eren whined.

" _God_ , can't you two contain your sappy gayness for five fucking minutes?" 

"Nope. Definitely not," Eren replied, half-paying attention to the short, grumpy man standing in front of the television. He turned into Armin and growled, biting at his neck with playful nips and hard bites. Armin’s eyes widened in surprise at the attack, squealing loudly and flailing his arms to swat at Eren's back in retaliation. 

"Eren!" Armin laughed too loudly as he sunk further into the plush couch, trying to escape the rapacious mouth attacking him out of revenge. His fingers dug into the soft knit of Eren's sweater, trying to pull him away before the attention to his neck became too much for him; he could already feel how hot his blush had grown. Despite how much he wanted to pull him closer, they were still in the living room with other people idling in and out—now was obviously not the place or time.

Levi rolled his eyes at the two on the couch and went back to frowning at the four remotes in his hands. "Why do you have so many remotes? All I want is to turn the goddamn TV on," he groused loudly.

An arm reached over Levi and plucked a large grey remote from his hand, clicking the TV on without hesitation. When the screen had phased into full brightness, the channel was flipped to a Christmas music station—one that played the good, quiet, classic Christmas songs. Levi turned and glared up at the blond behind him. "What are you, a wizard?"

"Yes," Erwin replied simply with a smile. He took the rest of the remotes from his partner's grasp and set them on the little desk next to them that was still riddled with stray gift wrap and trimmings from earlier that morning. He leaned down and greeted Levi with a chaste little kiss on the lips, pulling away at the loud gasp that came from the couch.

"Father, _please,_ " Armin feigned in a scandalized voice, one hand dramatically splayed over his own chest, the other over Eren's face to keep his biting mouth at bay. "Contain your homosexuality!

Levi snarled at Armin before he was suddenly spun around and dipped low, a pair of warm lips pressing into his. He punched Erwin's side awkwardly, his arms pinned from Erwin's sudden grasp and preventing him from doing anymore damage. He grumbled angrily into Erwin's mouth for the unexpected embrace, however his grumbling dissipated when the kiss deepened. Levi sighed quietly into the kiss and wriggled his arms out to wrap them around Erwin's neck as he melted into the feeling.

" _So gay,_ " Eren stage-whispered at them, prompting Levi to finally push away from Erwin.

"This whole damn family's gay, who cares," Levi grumbled, stalking off to the kitchen and instantly forgetting about whatever he had wanted to watch on the television.

Erwin shook his head, amused, and turned to his son and his boyfriend still sprawled in a mess on the seat of the couch. "Are you two going to help in the kitchen?"

"I probably will," Armin replied without much thought.

"Christmas is tomorrow, though. Why are we starting tonight?" Eren asked.

"We're making Christmas dinner for eight people, Eren," Armin said as he slid out from under him until he thumped onto the hardwood floor. "Krista is probably just doing all the prep work today."

"Yeah, that's probably true."

Armin held out his hand to Erwin, who automatically came over and took it, pulling his son up to his feet with no effort at all.

"Krista's making the usual. Turkey, roast, stuffing, potatoes, casserole, all that jazz," Erwin stated. "Oh and blackberry pie." He smiled fondly.

Eren made a face. "Blackberry pie? For Christmas?"

"It's Levi's birthday tomorrow as well," Erwin explained.

Armin slapped a hand over his forehead. "Shit! I forgot! I didn't get him anything!"

"Well, knowing Levi, he doesn't really want gifts anyways. I don't think you have to worry about it, Armin," Erwin reasoned. "But I'm giving him his favorite pie whether he wants it or not," he continued with a laugh.

His face faltered the slightest bit. "Come to think of it, if they have the blackberries out, Levi probably shouldn't be in the kitchen or he's going to eat them all before they even make it into the pie." Eren laughed at that as Erwin turned on his heel and headed through the little archway to the kitchen, intent on rescuing the girls' food from Levi's possibly wandering hands.

"Eren!" Armin turned to him once his father was gone, a startled look in his eyes. "I didn't get Levi anything. I didn't get anybody anything!"

Eren's face fell. "Oh, shit."

"I didn't have time! I was just...trying to make the house nice for everyone since it's their first time visiting and I just—" Armin groaned loudly at himself and slumped back onto the couch. "I _forgooottt_ ," he whined, covering his eyes with his hands and tilting his head toward Eren. When he pulled his hands away and opened his eyes, they were glistening with tears. "I forgot to get you something, too."

"No, no. It's okay, don't worry about me," he placated, scooting closer to Armin on the couch again. Armin sniffled quietly; the tears threatening to fall from his eyes were wiped gently away by his boyfriend’s comforting fingers.

"Why didn't you tell me you were that busy? I could've done the shopping for you..."

"Well, A: Because I _completely_ forgot. And B: Because you are _so bad at picking presents_ ," Armin teased with a sniffly smile despite his panic.

"Hey! I'll have you know that your gift is really cute, okay?"

"You got me something? Eren! Dammit, now I feel even worse about not getting anything!"

 "Well, we usually don't make that big a deal of presents, right? We can get everyone something small from the both of us." He smoothed Armin's hair away from his face and smooched his temple.

 "Is there even anything left to get them? It's Christmas Eve, Eren!" Armin cried out, throwing his hands over his face again and nearly smacking Eren. He felt his sense of Christmas Joy drain right out of him, only to have the Intense Holiday Stress fully take over. 

"Yeah. Just small things, remember? Maybe just get one thing for Mikasa and Sasha, one thing for Krista and Ymir, and one thing for your dad... And Levi gets his pie."

"And one thing for you."

"You don't have to, Armin." 

"Yes I do, shut up." Armin got up from the couch, his posture slumped, limbs flopping lifelessly by his sides like a zombie. "I should probably go now, then."

Eren stood up next to him and rubbed his hand soothingly over Armin's back. "Want me to go with you?"

"No, let me ask my sister." Armin wiped a hand over his face. "If she's not too busy making her banquet for the entire continent, that is."

Armin made for the kitchen, Eren trailing behind, when the doorbell rang—a chime that echoed out through the house. The clatter of dishes from the kitchen came to an abrupt halt, the silence becoming unnerving. Armin turned to go through the doorway on his right to answer the door, but the force of a linebacker knocked him aside into Eren as a blonde blur zipped past him.

The sound of the door opening and a resulting "JESUS CHRIST!" had Armin and Eren springing into action, running into the main hall to see what had happened. 

The front door sat wide open. A chilling breeze wafted in, gentle little flurries of snow drifting past the threshold of the doorway. Armin shivered at the chill and stepped as close to the door as he could stand with just his sweater on. His sister was face down in the snow, kissing it repeatedly; only when a pair of arms sprouted out from the snow to wrap around her did he realize that there was, in fact, a person underneath her. 

"Krista, dear, what the hell are you doing?" Armin jumped at his father's voice behind him, having not realized everyone else in the house had come up behind him and Eren to look through the doorway with them. 

"Oh! Dad!" Krista sat up from kissing the face below her. "This is Ymir," she practically sang, rolling off of her. Ymir sat up from her dent in the snow with a grin and slung her arm heavily over Krista's shoulders. She leaned over and kissed Krista on her cheek where it was starting to bloom a rosy color from the cold. Krista wiggled happily at the gesture. 

"Awww, you two are so cute!" Sasha warbled from over Levi's head, leaning her elbows against his shoulders and paying no mind to the scowl being sent up at her.

"Why don't you let her up so we can all be properly introduced?" Erwin chuckled. 

"Ah! Right!" Krista hopped up gracefully and pulled Ymir upright. Her girlfriend grimaced and squirm-danced around, trying to get the snow that had slipped down the back of her shirt out at the bottom. 

"The second I get here, I'm attacked—tackled off the porch and into the snow. I can't believe my wife is already trying to kill me; Merry Christmas," Ymir droned, a playful tone creeping into her voice. 

Erwin raised a surprised eyebrow. "Wife?" 

Awkward laughter erupted from Krista's mouth as she shook her head and waved her hands in front of her in denial. "N-no, Dad, we didn't elope or anything silly like that. She's just _joking._ " Krista emphasized the last word by jabbing Ymir in the side with her elbow, smiling sweetly at her father. 

"Ow! Shit, girl. Keep those weapons to yourself." Ymir rubbed at her side, glaring out of the corner of her eye. 

"I told you to behave," Krista replied through her teeth, still smiling at the amused faces of her family looking out from the doorway. 

Armin beckoned them inside. "C'mon, everyone's going to freeze because of you two." 

Krista bustled Ymir into the house, brushing as much snow off of her as she could manage before they made it through the door. With everyone inside and the door shut, the cozy warmth finally started to seep back into the house again.

"Okay!" Krista clapped her hands together happily. "Everybody, this is my not-quite wife, Ymir." She nudged her, and Ymir waved at them. "Ymir, this is my dad, Erwin, and his partner, Levi."

Erwin smiled warmly and shook her hand with a "Nice to finally meet you." Levi raised the bottle of beer in his hand as a toast before taking a swig.

"My twin brother, Armin and his boyfriend, Eren."

Armin greeted her with a hug that surprised her, and Eren gave a friendly wave and a "Hey!"

"And finally, Mikasa, who is Eren's sister, and her girlfriend, Sasha." Mikasa smiled and nodded politely as Sasha greeted her with a much more ecstatic display of hand waving and smiling.

"Wow. This whole family is gay," Ymir concluded.

"That's what I'm sayin'," Levi mumbled, sticking his hand into his pocket and shuffling back into the living room with his beer.

Ymir looked to Krista who had her face in her hand. "Unbelieveable," Krista muttered. In an instant her energy was back like nothing had happened, "Okay! Let's watch a movie or something, we need a little break from the kitchen. Ymir, make yourself at home... Wait, what am I doing, this isn't even my house."

She looked at Armin and he laughed. "Yes, Ymir, please make yourself at home."

Everyone leisurely made their way back into the living room, but Armin grabbed his sister before she went through the doorway. "I need you to help me," Armin half-whispered, panic clear in his voice. The family greeting from before had pushed his dilemma into the back of his mind for a bit, but now there were no distractions to keep it from eating at his thoughts again. 

A look of serious concern took over her cheerful face. "Why, what happened?" 

"I forgot to get everyone presents," he said angrily to himself. 

Krista slapped his arm and he jolted away from the sharp sting. "Wha—"

"Don't scare me like that! I thought it was something serious!"

"It is serious, Krista!" He threw his head back, silently wailing with his mouth gaping open like a fish. "I'm such a bad, Kristaaaa," he gurgled.

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby. You're a twenty-five year old man. And even though you’re the youngest one here, we're all adults. No one's going to get mad at you about presents."

"Please?" He made the biggest, saddest puppy eyes he could manage at her. "Pleeeaasseee?"

" _Fine._ "

He clutched her by the shoulders. "Oh, thank God."

"After the movie."

"But—!"

"One. Movie. It won't be too late, you'll be fine."

"Baaahhhh!" Armin exclaimed angrily at her, throwing his hands exasperatedly off of his sister and into the air.

"Humbug," she finished with a cheeky smile, turning through the doorway to join the others.

 

* * *

 

If Armin was being frank, he absolutely _loved_ Christmas...but the sheer amount of consumerism it involved was just obnoxious and gross. He had boxes and boxes of decorations, sure. But that was mostly from collecting three generations’ worth of Christmas things. They had familial meaning and half of them were even handmade; he cherished those things and used them to their fullest potential to make his house beautiful. But this garbage...

Armin grimaced at the thin cardboard "advent calendars," complete with most-definitely a sad, revolting excuse for chocolate sitting behind each shitty little perforated door. With a closer look, he could see that the picture printed on it wasn't even centered and the paper was pulling away from the plastic backing. It's like they didn't even _try_ anymore. 

The advent calendar he had at home was gorgeous, and he wasn't ashamed to say he still used it.

Every.

Single.

Year.

It was entirely made of wood—a box with hinged numbered doors on each of the four sides, one for each day of December leading up until Christmas day. A disc in the middle of the top rotated, upon which a sat wooden tree. Each hand carved ornament hung on the tree by delicate little golden hooks, and _everything_ was handmade and handpainted. And when Christmas finally came, the final ornament—the golden star at the top—was placed onto the tree. 

Then, like every year, Armin would turn the tree; he would wind it up until the soft click and then let it go. He'd watch with the same joyous light in his eyes that he'd always had as the decorated tree slowly rotated and the soft sound of a music box tinkled to the tune of "White Christmas." Things like that really _made_ Christmas for Armin.

He simultaneously seethed at "new" Christmas and reminisced fondly of "old" Christmas for who-knows-how-long, gritting his teeth at the hideous, cheap decorations in front of him. Krista found him staring at a display of flimsy-looking metal tree decorations, complete with an uneven spattering of gaudy glitter—a look of utter disgust plastered on his face.

"There you are! We walked through three stores without you before we realized you disappeared."

Armin looked at her, his lip curled over his teeth, clearly revolted. He gestured angrily with his arms at the display and in an instant Krista knew why they had lost him in the mall. He did this every damn year. "C'mon, Father Christmas, we only have a few hours until closing."

"Yeah and whose fault is _that?"_  

"Don't get snippy with me. I have the keys and I will leave you here."

Armin latched onto the arm next to him. "You can't leave me without also leaving Mikasa! Are you really so heartless that you'd leave _her?_ "

"Oho, low blow, little brother. You know my love for Mikasa _far surpasses_ my love for you. I guess you win this round." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "C'mon, let's get to where the actual good stuff is."

When Armin loosened his death grip on Mikasa, she locked arms with him, a small smile hidden behind her favorite red scarf. Armin huddled close to her with a smile, cheer renewed, and shuffled them along after his sister.

"Mikasa I don't know what to do. What should I get everyone?" 

Mikasa squeezed her arm around Armin's a little tighter in a comforting gesture. "I don't really know… Do you know anything that anybody likes?"

"I'm going to be a cheapskate at the last second, so I'm buying for couples instead of individuals. So… I have to find something for each pair." He hummed to himself in thought. "What could I get for you and Sasha?” 

He felt Mikasa shrug against him.

“Well do you guys need anything? Have you wanted something for a long time? Wanted something for five minutes? Five seconds? Please Mikasa, help me!"

“I can’t really think of anything…” Armin stopped walking and took his arm back from Mikasa’s hold; she frowned and turned around to look at him. His lips had disappeared into his mouth to form a hard line and his eyes were wide and frightening; his fists clenched hard at his sides and he could feel himself start to visibly shake with his nerves. Mikasa’s frown deepened and she took a step closer to him.

“Are you okay?”

When she got close enough to him to hear over the bustle of people and the shitty pop covers of Christmas music, she could hear a strangled sound coming from him. The sound forcing its way out of his closed mouth sounded like a cat being slowly stepped on. 

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Krista looked at them exasperatedly for stopping in the middle of the mall once again.

“Armin’s having another Christmas aneurysm.”

“Armin, come on. You’re wasting time.” Armin’s strangled sound rose in volume as he stared wildly into his sister’s eyes, his knuckles turning white. 

“Seriously. Just fucking pick something before you make yourself pass out.”

Armin sucked in a loud breath. Krista was clearly losing patience with him, and he didn’t want to make her any more mad at him. Especially this close to Christmas. He’d just have to suck it up and be a big boy.

A nudge to his arm made him look at Mikasa again. “Why don’t you go to one of your favorite stores and pick something from there. At least you’ll know you’re getting something quality if it’s from some place you like, right?” 

“Yeah, what about that tea shop you always go to?”

Armin scrubbed a hand over his face. “Do you guys like tea? I know you girls do, but I mean, what about Sasha?” He turned to his sister. “Ymir?”

“Jesus Christ, does Ymir love tea,” Krista laughed. “Drinks it like a fish.”

“I’m actually trying to get Sasha more into tea. She doesn’t seem to oppose it.”

Armin sighed a huge sigh of relief, letting his anxiety wash away in ebbing waves. “Dad drinks my tea all the time so I know what to get him.”

Mikasa laughed suddenly. “You should probably stock up for yourself, too. Levi’s been drinking a lot of your tea.” 

“Really? Which one?”

“The one with the orange peel in it.”

“Really?! He didn’t strike me as a fruity tea kind of guy…”

Krista moved around behind him and pushed him along. “Well, now you know what you can get, let’s go.”

Turning out of her guiding grasp, Armin waved his sisters away. “You guys go shop somewhere else,” he urged, “and pretend that you don’t know what I’m getting you.”

“ _Technically_ we don’t.” His sister smiled at him. 

“Still... I'll see you ladies later."

"Don't get lost again."

Armin made a childish face at his sister, but when he turned away to head to the store he was smiling.

He could relax somewhat now. All he had to do was be in and out of the tea shop and he would have remedied his completely uncharacteristic mistake. When it came down to it though, he blamed forgetting gifts on the stress he harbored all that week from getting the house ready.

He and Eren had moved into their new home together only a month ago, and it had to be _perfect_ when his family got there for Christmas. The house wasn't too small, and wasn't too big; it was a comfortably sized house for two people, but with enough space for some guests.

Their house was simple on the outside, with a more modern feel on the inside, but the real attraction of the house was the backyard—a small simple yard, beyond which sat a beautiful lake that neighboring houses surrounded as well. They couldn’t really do anything on the lake at the moment because it was partially frozen over, but it was still beautiful to look at. 

The house was gorgeous and well-kept now, but a month ago when they first moved in, the house needed quite a bit of TLC. Not much really needed to be repaired, but Armin made it his personal mission to deep-clean and spruce up every square inch of the property; the task of unpacking all the boxes (and not to interfere with the cleaning) was left to Eren’s hands. With some extra money from both of their families, they had bought some new furniture to help fill out the place, and had only completely finished about a week ago.

Armin only had two days to decorate the house to his standards (meaning, “No, Eren, that’s wrong. Let me do it.”) and prepare the guest rooms before the family arrived. Suffice to say, he was busy up until the moment the doorbell rang and his sister greeted him with a great big hug.

Like everything else, he took it upon himself to make their six visitors comfortable and happy for their first stay in their new house, and the thought of delegating any tasks to Eren didn’t even cross his frazzled mind. Tasks such as getting the goddamn presents.

A sample cup of a bright pink tea was pushed into his face when he stepped into the tea shop, snapping Armin out of his reverie as he accepted the slightly steaming liquid with a small nod and a smile. He threw it back like a shot of alcohol and savored the brief moment of flavor, before setting back to his task. He scanned over the shelves of teapots with such serious determination that the employee about to ask him if he needed help finding anything decided otherwise, and instead turned to help a clueless looking young man that had just walked in.

Armin knew what he was looking for, he just had to find the perfect match—new teapots that suited Sasha and Mikasa, his father and Levi, and Krista and Ymir, as well as some new teas for his father and for himself. He would have to figure out something later for Eren if he still had time; they had tea often enough and had two teapots that didn’t need replacing, so he didn’t think that anything from this shop would be good enough to get his boyfriend for Christmas.

It took Armin maybe half an hour to find everything he wanted from the tea shop, and another half hour to wait in line and get everything wrapped. He didn’t necessarily need to get anything wrapped, because the second he got home he was going to wrap them and decorate them himself anyways; even so, he wanted them all covered in plain white paper so no one would get a peek at what he had gotten them before they were supposed to.

He found Mikasa and Krista a few shops down, sitting on a bench in the center of the mall with warm drinks in their hands. Krista perked up when she saw her brother and the two large bags on his arms.

“Did you find everything?” She stood up from the bench and Mikasa did the same. 

“Yes!” Armin exclaimed and Krista smiled wide.

“...Well...no,” he continued. His sister’s smile fell again with an accompanying groan.

“No?”

“Okay, well, I got things for everyone except Eren… I still don’t know what to get for him.” 

“Do you _need_ to get him anything?” Mikasa asked. “Doing something nice for him will probably be the same as getting him a gift. He’s pretty easy to please.” 

Armin laughed lightly. “I still don’t know what I’d do for him… What would he want me to do that I haven’t done already? Dress up as a schoolgirl?” Armin laughed a little louder at how ridiculous that sounded.

“Yeah, why don’t you dress up for him,” Krista stated with enough seriousness that Armin stopped laughing.

“Are you serious?”

“Well, maybe not a schoolgirl. You’re more classy than that.” 

Armin blushed hard. It was one thing to consider dressing up for Eren in the bedroom, but it was another thing entirely when it was suggested by his _sister._ And his _boyfriend’s sister_ was listening to this conversation too. 

He wouldn’t really say he was... _subdued_...in bed, but he hadn’t exactly been too adventurous either. He knew that Eren would probably want to spice things up a bit, but so far Armin had let his shyness get the better of him. Maybe that would be something he could do for Eren…

“I… I don’t know if he’d like something like that…” Armin said awkwardly.

“Eren’s a perv, I bet he’d like it.” Armin looked wide-eyed at Mikasa. He expected something like that to come from his own sister, but Mikasa was looking at him like she meant it. “I saw him, when we were watching the movie. When there was that sexy Santa lingerie, he nudged and winked at you.”

“I thought that was a joke…”

Krista grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the elevator to get to the next floor up, and Mikasa followed along behind.

“C’mon, we only have...” Krista pulled out her phone and checked the time: 11:03pm. “About an hour before the mall closes.” 

“What? Where are we going?”

“Women’s Lingerie." 

“Are you kidding me?! Come on, let’s go home. I already got everyone else presents, I’ll think of something else for Eren.” Mikasa and Krista pulled him into the elevator and held him until the doors closed. 

Armin whined. “I wouldn’t be so opposed to this, but you two are my sisters. Isn’t this a little weird?” 

“Maybe. But _because_ we’re your sisters, that means that we are going to do our best to make you look hot. You’re the twin who got mom’s ass, you’ll be fine.” An older woman with a small child cleared her throat and made Krista turn around to apologize for her language.

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” she assured.

 

* * *

 

“This is so embarrassing!” 

“Shush, you look cute.” Krista turned Armin back toward the mirror in the small dressing room they were crammed into. She adjusted the back of the black ruffled panties so his ass cheeks peeked out of the bottom, forcing Armin to swat her hands away and flush hotly.

They were cute, he had to admit, but it was still embarrassing to have his sister fidgeting with his outfit and looking at him with a critical eye. And doing this in a public place, no less.

So far she had gotten him into a pair of panties and a pair of black nylon stockings with a classic seam running all the way up the back. The panties themselves were cute—in a large enough size and cut in a way that they were comfortable enough to look cute and also fit his extra non-lady bits (a detail Armin had been worried about the entire time). The little black bow in the top-center of the back was a cute addition that made it a little easier for Armin to accept the ridiculousness he was going through. The stockings hugged his legs and he would be lying if he said they didn’t look damn good; they made the slight feminine curve he had look a little more graceful and classy.

The two pieces, however, did not a complete outfit make.

“Okay, we still have to find a top for you, and some shoes”

“What kind of top am I supposed to wear? I don’t have breasts, if you haven't noticed,” he quietly whined, crossing his arms self-consciously over his naked chest.

“We could go for a sheer cami that doesn’t have any padding or underwire… Or if you want to go sexier, maybe a corset?”

“A corset? They have those here?”

“Well, not like a real tight-laced corset with the steel boning and all that. They have the more pliant, generally-lingerie ones. Do you want Mikasa and me to go find one for you?”

“I…I don’t know…I’ve never worn one before...”

“Try it?”

“Sure…I guess.” He sat on the hard white bench in the dressing room, trying to ignore how cold it was against his half-bare ass.

“Okay I’ll be back in a sec. Don’t go anywhere.”

He looked down at himself and then back at her before she walked out the door. “I don’t plan to.”

When he was by himself again he stood up. He’d never really dressed up like this before, even though sometimes he had been curious about it. The most he had done were the few times he had worn heels when he was in college.

He looked at himself in the mirror, bending the hinged parts of it forward so he could see himself better and study his look from all angles. His butt _did_ look pretty good.

His eyes moved down to his legs as he stood in different positions to see how they looked: straight, crossed, apart, bent. He raised up on his toes like he was wearing an invisible pair of stilettos and admired the arch in his feet and how long his legs looked.

A knock on the door startled him into dropping back down on the flats of his feet. He covered his ass with one hand and his crotch with the other, half-expecting his father to burst in and see him like this.

“We found some things for you to try on, are you decent?” his sister called from the other side of the door.

“Technically, no, but come in.” 

She laughed and handed him a stack of tops they had found. Mikasa gave him a thumbs up and sat on one of the chairs outside before Krista closed the door behind herself.

There was a whole assortment in the pile she had brought. Camisoles, nighties, full corsets, waist corsets—he tried them all on. The camisoles were certainly more loose and comfortable to move around in, but Armin liked how the corsets looked so much better. The only problem was, most of the ones they had brought him were a little too big at the hips and at the top where boobs were supposed to fill the space; they wouldn’t fit right no matter how tight they laced them.

The last one he tried, however, was nearly perfect. The cut was a little straighter than the others he had tried on, so it fit much better to his small waist. It was black and he wasn’t sure what material it was made from—it was soft like satin, but without the high-shine that satin usually had. The underbust style eliminated the issue of trying to fill out a corset with boobs he didn’t have. Fit snugly to his waist, it dipped in slightly to accentuate the subtle lean curve of his body, and the feminine curve of the top of the corset drew attention to and accented his bare chest. 

“Holy shit. Look at you! You look so good!” Krista cracked open the door and looked to Mikasa for confirmation, and she received a nod.

Armin wasn’t as embarrassed now; even with lingerie on, he wasn’t as naked with the corset on as he previously had been. Running his hands up and down his sides, he felt the material of the garment, felt his light curves. He moved them over his stomach; he was already thin and had a flat stomach, but the corset made it feel impossibly perfect.

“So?” Krista looked at him expectantly. “Is this a winner? We only have fifteen minutes left and we haven’t even looked at shoes yet.” 

“I...” Armin looked at himself again. “Is there any other color of this? Everything I have is so…black.”

“Don’t move.” The command came from Mikasa and she stood from her chair. “Stay here.”

“What?” Armin and Krista said at the exact same time, giving her the exact same face and incredulous gesture. It was kind of funny to look at; they had never looked more like twins, but Mikasa didn’t have time to waste so she just told them to stay put again.

“I know what to get you, I’ll be right back. Armin what’s your shoe size?”

“I’m a seven in Men’s, wha—”

“Be right back.”

After she left, an employee came to warn them to wrap things up, so Armin changed back into his clothes while they waited for Mikasa to come back from who-knows-where. 

Armin piled the rejected articles of lingerie in a neat fashion on one end of the bench and folded the stockings back into their packaging (which he technically wasn’t supposed to open until he bought them, but Krista had to make sure they fit and looked good).

The sudden banging on the door made Armin jump, the stockings leaping out of his hands in his fright.

“Jesus, Mikasa!”

“Sorry.” She looked a little out of breath. “I found what I wanted for you but they had to look in the back for your shoe size and they were taking their sweet damn time.”

She handed over two pieces of clothing, and presumably a box of shoes. “The corset is the same size as the black one so it’ll probably fit, but you should try the shoes on first. They have half sizes so we can run and grab another or ask for them to hold a pair for tomorrow if these don’t fit.”

She all but ripped the top off of the shoebox and handed him one of the heels. Before she let go of the shoe when he grabbed it, she turned it over in his hand.

“The shoes are black, but the sole is this really nice dark blue that matches the corset I got.” She let go of the shoe and put down the box. While Armin sat down to try the shoes on, she showed him the corset, the same exact cut and size as the black one, but instead a deep, rich blue that he knew would make the bright blue of his eyes shine even brighter.

“Wow, that’s such a great color,” Krista admired, turning it in her hands. 

Armin slipped the other shoe on and turned his feet, trying to look at them from different angles.

“Do they fit? Stand up,” Krista said to him, and he did.

“Holy crap, how tall are these?” Armin wobbled slightly but righted himself almost immediately.

“Five inches, maybe a little bit of platform too, I’m not sure how big,” Mikasa answered.

“I’m going to be taller than Eren for once, jeez.”

“So does that mean you’re getting them? Can you walk in them?” Krista talked quickly, trying to move things along so the employee attending that section of the mall would stop glaring at them.

Armin walked easily and gracefully, adjusting to the height already. “Yeah, I can walk in them. It’s not like I’m going to be walking miles in these, so I think it’s fine.”

“Okay, then let’s get going before they decide to lock us in here.”

Armin arranged the shoes back in the box and grabbed his things. When they were at the counter checking out, Mikasa nudged Armin and showed him a sheer piece of black cloth.

“I thought this might be nice too, if you wanted. It's just a long kimono-like robe. It’s see-through with a little bit of lace and I thought it would look good over everything.” He held it up to take a look at it and ran his hand through one of the sleeves. It was an open garment with no closures in the front, just a thin piece of fabric. The sleeves looked like they would end in the middle of his forearm, and extended down like small kimono sleeves, just as Mikasa had described to him. 

The clerk cleared her throat at them and looked at Armin with a dull expression. “Are you getting that too? We closed a couple minutes ago and I’d like to go home.”

“Ah! Sorry, yes, please add it too. And could you put all the garments in a plain box? It doesn’t need to be wrapped.”

“Sure thing. Swipe your card.” She packed the clothes quickly into a box, and stuffed it in a large bag to hand back to them. “Happy Holidays,” she recited blandly.

They made it out of the store and headed back through the mall to get to the car, thanking the guard on the way out the door. Armin linked his arms with Mikasa and Krista, the two girls carrying his bags for him. The relief that washed over him was heavenly.

“Thank you so much, you two. You helped me way more than I expected.” He leaned his head on Mikasa and then on his sister as a sort of armless hug.

“Not a problem at all, little brother. We had fun,” Krista replied. They all smiled and huddled a little closer like a family of penguins fending off the cold.

“And you’re gonna be one hot little potato,” she laughed loudly.

“ _Oh my God, Krista_.”

 

* * *

 

When they got home, it was a little after 12:30 in the morning. Erwin and Levi had already gone off to bed in their guest room downstairs. Sasha and Ymir weren’t around, so they were most likely asleep too. Eren seemed to be the only one up at such a late hour to wait for them.

“Merry Christmas,” Eren greeted Armin with a short peck of a kiss. 

“Crap, it’s Christmas already,” Armin groaned.

“I’m going to go to bed,” Krista announced as she headed upstairs. “Goodnight everybody, see you in the morning,”

“Me too,” Mikasa stated and bumped her brother’s shoulder playfully with her own before heading downstairs to the little rec room where Sasha was probably already snoring on the couch.

“You gonna go to bed too, Armin?” Eren asked, wrapping an arm around him.

“Not yet, I have to wrap these,” he held up the three large bags in his hands with a tired smile. 

“I’ll help you, okay? You don’t have to do all the work yourself, you know.” 

“Okay. Yeah.” He kissed Eren’s chin. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Eren teased with a smile.

“ _Yes_ ,” Armin annunciated. “I’ll get the wrapping stuff from downstairs, I’ll be right back.”

“Down in the Christmas Dungeon?”

Armin laughed at that. The extra store room downstairs was full of all of the extra Christmas decorations that he hadn’t put up, and it would be where he would store everything after the holidays were over. It was also an untidy wrapping mess at the moment from everyone wrapping their gifts down there. The fridge harboring the extra beer was in that room too, so Levi had lovingly dubbed the room “The Fucking Christmas Dungeon” after he had been down there several times when he had wanted a cold one.

“Be right back,” he reminded and took the bag with the clothing downstairs, leaving the other two on the floor by the door, which Eren took back into their living room.

Armin grabbed a couple rolls of wrapping paper, some bows, and some ribbon and set them down for a moment. He wrapped the two boxes—one with the clothes and one with the shoes—with deft fingers, quickly and quietly. He knew how loud wrapping paper could be, and Erwin and Levi’s guest room was the next room over; he did _not_ want a tired, grumpy Levi in his Christmas Dungeon yelling at him for being too loud at one in the morning. 

He gathered the wrapped presents under one arm and the paper and trimmings under his other, and headed quietly back through the rec room. He smiled at Mikasa and Sasha curled up on the couch together under a single blanket.

When he was upstairs again, he snuck the back way, through the kitchen to the living room and placed Eren’s presents under the tree before Eren turned around to see him.

“You’ve returned in one piece.”

“Yeah, the elves aren’t as rabid this time of night. I snuck right past them.”

Eren laughed loudly and Armin shushed him with a roll of his eyes.

“We didn’t watch _A Christmas Story_ on Christmas Eve.” Eren pouted. “That’s a tradition!”

Armin sighed. “We can still watch it tonight.”

“It’s Christmas already, we missed it.” 

“We haven’t gone to sleep yet, it doesn’t count. It’s still Christmas Eve.” Eren smiled and easily accepted that theory.

“Will you be able to stay awake, Arm’?”

“I’ll try to.”

He handed Eren the presents and some paper and they set to wrapping. Armin finished his much faster than Eren, who was struggling to fold one of the ends, so he took his time with the ribbons and tags so Eren could catch up.

They set the presents under the tree and looked back at it together. The different colored lights, the ornaments, the presents, the garlands. Everything was perfect—finally.

“It’s beautiful, Armin.” Eren hugged him around his waist from behind and kissed the back of his neck gently. Armin sighed a happy, quiet noise and rocked side to side lightly with the soft music that was still playing from the television.

Eren rocked with him and smiled into his soft hair. A slow, old-fashioned sounding version of “White Christmas” played, and Eren leaned into Armin a little more, his chin resting on his shoulder. “It’s your song,” he said into his neck and kissed it again. “Who sings this one?”

“Bing Crosby. The best version.” Armin turned around in his boyfriend’s arms and wrapped his own around Eren’s neck, laying his head against his shoulder. They rocked slowly with the music, only changing pace slightly when the song changed.

Armin pulled his head away and looked up at Eren, and Eren looked back down at him and smiled. It amazed him how he could still get so easily lost in those forest-green eyes. He gently pulled Eren down and looked at his lips, then back up to his eyes.

Eren smiled back at him, his lips so close Armin could almost feel that smile he loved so much. He looked down at his lips again, then right back to Eren’s eyes through his wispy blond eyelashes. 

“No teasing,” Eren whispered against him. Armin huffed out a little laugh and parted his lips slightly, running his tongue between them so they weren’t so dry. Armin still didn’t make a further move; he couldn’t decide whether he was teasing or being shy. Maybe a little of both.

Eren took a hand from Armin’s waist and moved it up to cup Armin’s neck before sliding it to the side of his face. He tilted Armin’s head upwards and leaned down, closing his eyes and finally pressing their lips together.

The kiss was warm and comforting, and had Armin pressing himself closer to seek more of the feeling. Their lips parted from each other’s and Eren ran his thumb softly over Armin’s cheek. Eren’s eyes widened slightly before closing again when Armin pulled him back down for another kiss.

Armin raised up on his toes, tightening his embrace around Eren’s neck and kissing him fervently, his lips parting against Eren’s. The hand against Armin’s face moved back down to his waist and held him tight, a happy noise escaping through Armin’s nose.

The tip of Eren’s tongue pressed gently against Armin’s bottom lip, and he eagerly accepted it, turning his head and opening his mouth a little wider. He loosened his grip around Eren’s neck and played with the dark hair at the nape of his neck while their mouths moved against one another.

They kissed for a while—feeling like blissful forever to them. Still swaying and rocking with the slow music, their lips met and sucked lightly, tongues sliding languidly together. Eren pulled away slightly, hands rubbing at Armin’s back where his fingers had been flexing into him. He kissed Armin one more time, before pulling away completely and looking into Armin’s gorgeous blue eyes. He ran the backs of his fingers over Armin’s cheek, feeling the heat from his blushing skin.

“I love you so much, Armin.”

He said it so quietly and gently it made Armin smile and close his eyes. He took the hand against his face in both of his and pressed a firm kiss to his fingers, then to his lips again. “I love you, too.” He kissed him one more time. He yawned wide, Erwin howling along with him when it forced a sympathetic reaction.

“PJs and the movie, before I fall asleep kissing you,” Armin suddenly declared; it was half a suggestion, half a command, and Eren let himself be led by the hand upstairs to their bedroom. Changing took longer than Armin expected, what with Eren still smooching him every second he could sneak one in.

Comfy pants and shirt on, Armin slipped a Christmas sweater over his head—the light one that had a colorful design of hanging ornaments. When his head popped through the neck of the sweater, he wasn’t surprised when Eren’s lips were on his again.

He kissed back then pulled away, only to have Eren’s mouth follow and remain attached to his. Armin nipped Eren’s lip to get his point across, but that just encouraged him to kiss him harder.

“Ow!” Eren cried when Armin pinched him in the ribs.

“Shh! Don’t wake up Krista and Ymir if they’re asleep." 

Eren pouted and rubbed at his side. “What a meanie,” he whined.

“Hush, you. You wanted to watch the movie didn’t you? Or do you just want to go to bed and make out instead?” 

Eren looked at the ceiling while he thought and then smiled. “Both?”

“Movie it is,” Armin said and took his hand to pull his idiot boyfriend back down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

Eren loved where he was at the moment, in his favorite chair in the living room—the comfy as hell recliner that wasn’t quite big enough for two people, but big enough to snuggle close on. Armin was curled up against him, his head resting on his chest, arm across his middle; the warmth coming from him was more satisfying than what the blanket covering them provided.

Eren had been petting and playing with Armin’s hair for nearly the whole movie—partly because he loved to do that anyways, but also because a part of the movie had made Armin laugh so hard he threw his head back and got his his hair stuck in the Christmas tree, and he didn't want another little mishap. Eren quietly chuckled at the recent memory and massaged his fingers through the hair at the back of Armin’s head.

The lack of recent laughter made him wonder, though. He leaned to the side to try to see Armin’s face.

“Armin?”

“...Mrrm.”

“Did you fall asleep? The bunny suit part hasn’t even happened yet.”

Silence.

“Armin?”

“ _Mmmrrrhm_ ,” he grumbled, adjusting his position so he rested higher up and burying his face in Eren’s shoulder.

Eren laughed quietly, trying not to disturb Armin again. He watched the rest of the movie by himself, still idly petting Armin, who shifted only once in awhile as he slept against him. When it was over he flipped the television off with the remote and dropped it on the floor as quietly as he could.

With the TV off, the room became quiet and still once more. The house was dark, aside from the Christmas tree—its colored lights casting warm little glows onto the surfaces around it.

Armin had tilted away from Eren a bit in his sleep, now resting more against the arm of the chair than on his boyfriend. Eren could see his face better now; he looked so peaceful and calm in his sleep, features devoid of the stress that worried at him constantly. The glow from the tree behind him made him look somehow...angelic.

His arm was curled against Eren’s chest, fingers resting against his slightly parted lips that glistened with the saliva he was probably dribbling on Eren’s shirt. But Eren thought nothing bad of that. He thought Armin still looked gorgeous.

He always looked gorgeous. 

A gentle hand raised from Eren’s free side and reached over to brush Armin’s bangs out of eyes. His eyes crinkled at the ticklish sensation and Eren grimaced, fearing he had woken him, but Armin just smacked his lips lightly and mumbled in his sleep. He turned his head and rubbed his nose into Eren’s arm before settling once more. 

Eren shifted his leg off the recliner and searched for the switch on the floor to the Christmas tree that would extinguish the remaining light in the room. When he found it, he clicked it and brought his leg back into the warm blanket haven it had left.

Snuggling closer to Armin and pulling the blanket more securely around them, he kissed his slumbering forehead goodnight. He let Armin’s quiet breathing and permeating warmth lull him. He thought about how much he loved Armin, and how grateful he was to have him in his arms—how grateful he was to have him in his life.

  
With a warm smile, he finally drifted off to sleep.


	2. You'll Poke Your Eye Out, Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second and final chapter~
> 
> Merry (kinda late) Christmas!

When Armin roused from his slumber, he was warm...but not warm enough.

He curled into himself, pulling the blanket with him and frowned when his knees hit the other side of the chair instead of his boyfriend. Grumbling low in his throat, his eyes fluttered open against his will; he squinted at the light in the room and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

When his eyes opened all the way and his vision finally came into focus, he saw Sasha on the couch next to Eren with a cookie half in her mouth. She nudged Eren in Armin’s direction, his face lighting up instantly.

“You’re finally awake,” he said cheerily and got up to crouch down in front of Armin, his face resting against the arm of the chair. He kissed him sweetly, Armin humming with content. 

“Merry Christmas, Armin.” He brushed hair out of Armin’s face and tucked it behind his ear. “Sorry you didn’t wake up with me there. I had to pee really bad an hour ago and I didn’t think I could get back on there without waking you up,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Mmm,” Armin replied, closing his eyes again and accepting the excuse. “Merry Christmas. What time is it?”

“3:37pm.”

Armin’s eyes shot open.

“Are you kidding me?! I slept through half the day!”

“We all agreed to let you sleep. You kind of needed it, didn’t you?” Eren laughed.

Armin grumbled again, knowing it was the full truth, and threw the blanket off of himself.

“Cheer up, Grumpy!” Sasha sang and handed him a cookie. “They’re still warm, I just made them,” she announced happily. “They put me on cookie duty because I kept eating the potatoes.” She laughed loudly at herself and stuffed another decorated bell-shaped cookie into her mouth.

“She kept eating the _raw_ potatoes,” came Mikasa’s voice from the kitchen. Armin blurted out a laugh at that and took a bite of the sugar cookie, thanking Sasha on his way into the kitchen.

Krista’s Christmas dinner production was in full swing. Mikasa was tending to the meat, a turkey in the oven, nearly done, and a thick roast that had yet to be put in. Krista was over at the counter, fixing up a green bean casserole and what looked like a dish of vegetable bread pudding. Everything smelled heavenly, and when Armin announced his presence everyone turned to wish him a Merry Christmas before turning back to their preparations.

Erwin was at the stove mashing a huge pot of potatoes, Levi leaning against the counter close to him with a glass of red wine in his hand. Levi leaned his head against Erwin’s non-mashing arm and mumbled something quietly against it. Erwin stopped his potato punishing and kissed the top of Levi’s head, bending down to kiss him softly on the lips when Levi raised his head up. A hint of a smile played at Levi’s lips and Armin felt a warm little feeling in his chest at Levi showing his affection for his father.

“Dinner will be ready at 7:00, maybe 7:30,” Krista said behind him.

He looked away from the direction of the stove. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Not really anymore, no. Sorry.” She side-hugged her brother when he sighed in defeat.

“I can make fudge later. Or Tom and Jerry’s,” he suggested.

“Ooh~ Yes!” 

Erwin turned around after feeding Levi a taste of the potatoes and earning his approval. “I haven’t had a Tom and Jerry since Christmas last year,” he reminisced. “I don’t know what you do, Armin, but they’re only amazing when you make them.”

Armin laughed. “I just put a big ol’ heaping tablespoon of _love_ in them,” he said sweetly with a bat of his eyelashes, making Erwin laugh a very dad-sounding laugh. Levi shook his head at both of them and took a long sip from his glass.

An arm snaking around Armin’s waist surprised him but he settled when he realized it was obviously Eren. Ymir came down the stairs at the far end of the kitchen and waved at Armin with a “Good morning...or...afternoon, I guess.”

“Cool, everyone’s here,” Eren said loud enough to get everyone’s attention. “Is everyone at a point in cooking where we can go and open presents without the house burning down?”

Krista sucked some cranberry sauce off her thumb and wiped her hands on her apron. “Give me maybe…fifteen more minutes? Then I’ll be all set. The rest of you are free to go.”

“Awesome!” Eren exclaimed, herding the family into the living room to sit them all down. He offered them all something to drink and returned to the kitchen briefly to pour a few glasses of wine for Ymir, Erwin, and Mikasa.

“I’m still wearing pajamas...” Armin groused, still a groggy from how long he had slept.

“You can change into something nicer after presents and before dinner,” Krista reasoned as she poured a hearty amount of wine into a glass for herself and left the kitchen to interact with the others.

“Arm’,” Eren called to him, “do you want to make some hot cocoa for Sasha, and me.”

“Yeah, sure. Did you put the good cocoa in the pantry?” Eren nodded and Armin left to set a pan on the stove, rearranging things around so he had a burner to work with. He had the cocoa made to perfection in no time at all and added a dash of cinnamon for some spice and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings over the top. Eren returned to the kitchen in time to grab two of the three mugs and led him back to the others.

With a deep, relaxed breath, Armin sat down in the space left open for him on the couch and sipped his cocoa. Krista stood, taking up the role of Santa this year and making a beeline for the tree.

Eren hadn’t sat down yet, meandering over to the fireplace on the other side of the room to rearrange the logs and prepare it. When he had it lit, the flames creeping around the logs quickly grew into a steady fire, radiating warmth from the hearth. He sat back down, pressed close to Armin’s side, and took a sip from his own hot cup of cocoa.

Levi must have been a little cold, because he immediately got up from his chair in favor of sitting right in front of the fire, Erwin scooting a little closer and sitting by his side. Levi let Erwin nudge him a little further away from the screenless fireplace, obviously concerned that his partner might accidentally catch himself on fire with how close he was sitting; Armin didn’t even know how he could handle the burning heat against his back.

Krista doled out some of the gifts; there weren’t a huge amount of them, but she gave everyone at least one present to start with. 

“This one’s for you, Armin,” she said and handed him a tube-like package, tied off at the ends to look like a big holiday party cracker. “I don’t know who it’s from, it doesn’t have a name on it.”

Eren leaned over and muttered quietly in his ear that it was from him as Armin undid the ties and the tore the paper away. It was a set of small differently-colored bottles, a sticker on the front of each—a candy cane, a gingerbread man, a pumpkin, a chunk of chocolate with a mint leaf, and a bunch of cranberries. He pulled the candy cane one out and popped the cap, putting it to his nose and taking a sniff.

“Oooh! That actually smells really good for hand sanitizer.” Armin moved to squeeze it in his hand but Eren grabbed him, immobilizing his hands and trying not to laugh when Armin looked at him with pure confusion.

He lowered his voice so only Armin could hear him over the rest of the family chatting together and thanking each other for the gifts. “It’s not...hand sanitizer..."

Armin’s eyes widened. “Eren...” He huddled into him like they were having a two-person secret meeting in the middle of the couch. “Is this… _lube._ ” Eren snorted a laugh and covered his mouth with his hand.

“ _Maaayyybe_ ,” he teased, tapping his fingers playfully over his smiling lips.

Krista tapped Armin on the shoulder to hand him another present, startling him into hastily stuffing the Christmas lube into the space between his and Eren’s legs so he could accept the gift with grateful, untainted hands. When she turned away from them, Armin slapped Eren on the arm and couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up out of him. “I can’t believe you! What if i actually put that in my hand!”

“Krista, you beautiful creature, thank you!” Sasha’s voice rose above the rest, holding a stack of gourmet cookbooks tight to her chest with a hungry gleam in her eye. Mikasa laughed quietly beside her, working at the ribbon tied around the gift that Armin had bought for her and Sasha. Ymir had his gift for her and his sister as well, already halfway through tearing off the paper.

Armin watched them, worrying his lip between his teeth as he waited for their initial reactions. Anything good that they said about the gifts would mean nothing if their first reaction was a split-second face akin to one someone would make when they stepped on a slug with bare feet. Armin knew that face, and he knew how many times he had made that face at the hideous clothes he grandmother used to gift him. The fake appreciation stung whether he was on the giving or the receiving end.

He had gotten three teapots to give to his family for Christmas—each uniquely different, each uniquely beautiful. He just hoped that the ones he decided on were the right choices.

Ymir got to hers first and her eyes lit up instantly—a good sign. “Hey Krista, look what your brother got us.”

“Armin! This is gorgeous! Wow...” She opened the box to look at the actual pot inside, ready to judge if it looked just as good as the picture on the outside. She dug a nicely-weighted black cast iron teapot out of the packaging. Rather than being round and stout like a lot of teapots, this one was still large, but it was more of a flat shape, the handle arching gracefully over the top. Ymir took it from Krista’s small hands to have a closer look and ran her fingers over the raised gold design pressed into the metal. “Thanks, Armin, this is really great,” Ymir responded with a toothy smile. Armin was thankful that at least one of his gifts had managed to please.

“This one is beautiful too.” This time the comment came from Mikasa.

“Ooh, is it glass?” Sasha asked.

“Yeah, it’s glass,” Armin answered, quietly nervous about their response; he had taken a gamble with this one. “So, obviously, you can see all the way through it. I got you a couple of blooming tea balls too. I thought you might like that, Sasha.”

“What are blooming tea balls?”

Mikasa unwrapped one of the tea balls from its packaging and held it up to her girlfriend. “You put this in the teapot; it’s like a flower wrapped in tea. As it steeps it opens up and the flower blooms. It’s beautiful to watch the bulb unfurl right in front of you.” She put the ball back in the container. “Nice choice, Armin. We might have to try one of these later.”

“Ahhh, good,” Armin sighed in relief. “I’m so glad you like it!” 

Krista handed Armin his last gift, physically putting it in his hands. “Enough worrying. Open your damn presents.” He stuck his tongue out at her and opened his gifts, piling his discarded wrapping paper in the mound that Eren had already started forming at their feet. Armin moved quickly through opening his gifts, stopping to admire and thank for each one. Most of what he and Eren received were housewarming gifts— small pieces of furniture, accent decor, kitchenware, bath luxuries.

Armin went for his last gift.

“Mmm! That one’s from me!” Eren exclaimed, smacking his lips after taking another big sip of his cocoa.

Krista distributed the last few gifts, one to Erwin and Levi, and two to Eren that Armin took from him and set on the arm of the couch on his other side.

“Hey! That’s—”

Armin shushed him, opening his last box and sifting through the tissue paper to find a few items of clothing. Armin laughed out loud. “How funny, I got you clothes too,” he mumbled to himself. He pulled the garments out of the thin box and held them up to look at them.

“Ahh, yes! This is that cardigan I wanted months ago,” he said, rubbing the blue fabric on his face. A soft gurgle bubbled up from his mouth and Eren laughed. “It’s so _sooooofffft_.” He took it and rubbed it on Eren’s face, his boyfriend laughing and leaning into the feeling.

“Mm, yeah,” he hummed back at him.

His father’s deep voice thanking him from across the room made Armin look over, ceasing the rubbing of Eren’s face. The smaller ceramic teapot he got seemed to be another pleaser. It came with a set of four small tea cups as well, all in a uniquely strange design that looked almost organically like smoke; the ceramic was mostly black but with wispy swirls of a white-gray and a fiery, bright red.

Levi turned a full canister of fruity tea in his hand, still admiring the tea set, and thanked Armin as well. Then he noticed the small card that was only addressed to him and frowned. When he opened it he found a gift card for $100 to the tea shop with a small handwritten note:

_Dad told me you don’t like many gifts, but Happy Birthday! :)_

_-Armin ( & Eren) _

Armin watched him, trying to gauge some sort of reaction; Levi’s hair was down over his face, preventing him from seeing what he was thinking. Eren tried to sneak his arm around Armin to grab his gifts while he wasn’t paying attention, but Armin twisted his arm back over and held it to his boyfriend’s side, still watching. When Levi lifted his head up to look at Armin, he looked like he might cry.

But in a good way… At least, Armin hoped it was a good way…

Levi didn’t thank him again, but he raised the card as a gesture and nodded his head to Armin and Eren.

Good enough.

Now he just had to deal with Eren’s...present…

Armin looked back through the box on his lap; another cardigan in dark gray instead of blue like the other one, and a pair of nice jeans lay neatly folded under the paper.

“Thank you for the clothes, Eren.” He kissed his cheek.

“Do I get mine now?” Eren practically whined.

“Someone’s a little impatient, aren’t they?” he teased, kissing his cheek again.

“ _Yes._ Can I have it,” he moaned. “Please?” he added as an afterthought.

Armin hummed like he was thinking. “Mmmmm… No.”

“ _No?_ ”

“You can have it later.” Armin kissed the same spot on Eren’s cheek again, side-glancing around the room to see if anyone was paying any attention to them.

They weren’t.

He slid his hand over Eren’s knee, inching it up his thigh only as much as he dared, to keep his intentions seemingly innocent in the room full of family members. Eren looked down, curious, and put his hand over Armin’s. 

“Later…” Armin mentally shook away his nervousness and leaned close to Eren, dropping his voice so low and seductive, he surprised himself. “ _When we’re alone_ ,” he whispered, lips brushing against the sensitive shell of Eren’s ear. He felt Eren’s fingers tighten over his, a shuddering exhale leaving his lips. The sound made Armin close his eyes and bite his lip.

He pulled away, taking the hand that was on his boyfriend’s leg with him. He gathered all of the small gifts he could carry and piled them on top of the two unopened gifts.

“I’m just going to take these upstairs. Be right back,” he announced to the room, kissing Eren sweetly on the cheek again on his way out to the stairs. His boyfriend’s gaze followed him as he left through the doorway.

“Eren.”

Eren stared out the arch to the main hall, watching Armin climb the stairs.

“ _Eren._ ” A hand waved in front of his face.

“Whuh?” He looked up at his sister.

“We’re going to finish up with dinner now. You guys can just hang around until we’re done.” She didn’t wait for him to say anything before she joined the others in the kitchen.

When Armin came back down, he had changed into his nicer clothes for the evening—a deep wine-red button down and some fitting black slacks. He looked like he had washed his face, a bright, fresh glow to his skin. He had brushed his hair back into position, sleek and neat. The only thing that belied his formal appearance was his pair of thick fuzzy toe socks and lack of shoes.

Erwin sipped his wine, halfway out the door to the porch, and waved his son over to follow him when he caught his eye. Armin walked over, taking his outdoor coat from the coat rack and slipping on a his pair of  black floral rain boots that sat by the door.

They stepped outside and the cold immediately assaulted their faces, their breath huffing out in steaming clouds. Erwin leaned against the railing of the porch, brushing away the snow that sat there and Armin came up quietly to join him. 

“So,” Armin started. “How do you like the house?”

“I love it. Very cozy,” his father said with a smile. He looked out over the lake, perused the houses and the bare trees in front of them and added, “The view is very beautiful.” He turned more toward his son, gently swirling the wine in his glass.

“But how are you liking it? Are you settling in okay?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Armin replied, although there was a hint of something in his voice that made it sound like he wasn’t so sure. “I think Eren's doing okay. He hasn't been as stressed as I have. But that's kind of my own fault for trying to do everything myself," he said with a small laugh at himself. "I mean, we haven’t been here long, but I like this place a lot. It’s just...” 

“A little far from home?” Erwin finished.

Armin breathed in deeply, the cold air stinging at his nostrils. “Yeah,” he breathed out. He leaned against his dad when his large arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"You know I will visit you when I can. Levi too."

Armin laughed at that. "Does Levi even like me? " 

"Yes, actually.” Erwin sounded relieved at that fact. “He's pretty fond of you. I know he doesn't show it very well sometimes, but he's having a good time here." He hugged his arm around Armin a little tighter. "Sasha annoys him a bit though..."

Armin laughed, his breath coming out in puffs. "I thought that might be the case. She's a little excitable for Levi's taste. But she’s fun to be around."

They laughed together and let the conversation trail off, a comfortable silence settling over them. They stayed there for a while, enjoying each other's company and chatting once in awhile, when Mikasa popped her head out of the door.

"Am I interrupting anything important?"

"Hmm?" Erwin turned around, sipping the last of his wine.

"Dinner's almost ready, so come on in when you're done out here."

"Ready for food, Armin?" his dad asked. 

" _Heck yeah._ " He smiled and shuffled for the door, ready to be warm and cozy again.

With everyone back inside, they moved to the kitchen once again where everyone was grabbing a plate and waiting for everyone to arrive. Eren handed a plate to Armin and kissed him on the nose. 

"Your nose is so cold," he commented, kissing it a few more times before Armin giggled and swatted him away. 

Erwin looked around. "Where's Levi?" 

Krista shrugged. "I haven't seen him since we went back in the kitchen."

With a quizzical frown, Erwin left to go downstairs to see if he was in their room. "You all can start without us, I'll find him. He couldn't have gone far." 

The feast was laid out before them all in the kitchen, over the counters and the small center island; the table in the dining room beared only the salad and rolls so it wasn't so crowded.

"God, everything looks so goooood," Eren practically drooled, Sasha and Ymir looking almost ravenous behind him. 

Erwin appeared unexpectedly with Levi at the far end of the kitchen, down the stairs from above instead of back up the stairs where Erwin had left.

"Alright, everybody's here," Krista announced and opened her arms wide to the room. "Y'all dig in!"

 

* * *

 

Dinner was a loud and frivolous event. Everyone ate to their heart’s (and stomach’s) content, thanking each other for their effort, and only half-trying not to talk with their mouths full. Family stories and laughs were constantly being passed around the table, even getting a few chuckles out of Levi.

Levi had tried to refuse everyone singing “Happy Birthday” to him, but he sat through it well enough and eagerly accepted the blackberry pie Krista had made. 

Now everyone was sitting around the fire again in the living room, happy and sated with a round of Armin’s homemade eggnog Tom and Jerry’s set on the coffee table in front of them.

Erwin hummed as he sipped his. “I swear...you...make these better every...every year,” he said with a little difficulty, a little slur. He swayed slightly in his seat on the couch, Levi watching him.

“Better watch it with the alcohol, old man. I’m not going to carry you downstairs when you pass out.”

“Not unless I...passed out _on_ you,” he retorted with a nearly sleazy smile. He stood up and moved one seat over on the couch and right onto Levi’s lap, forcing a loud “ _oof_ “out of him.

“ _Jesus_. You’re so fucking heavy.”

“Mm,” he agreed, sipping his drink again. “Too bad you have to...carry me now.”

Levi clicked his tongue at Erwin. He didn’t push him off, choosing instead to wrap his arms around his waist and rest his face against his back. 

Erwin leaning on Levi had pushed them both more toward Krista who sat on the other side of the couch. A waft of citrusy scent drifted past Krista and she smelled at the air next to her. 

"Levi is that you? It smells so good, what is that?" 

"Uhhhh...Lemon Pledge." 

Krista blinked at him.

"Levi?" Armin shifted around so he could see him behind the mass of his drunk father. "Were you...cleaning my house?" 

"Tch." He moved his head to the other side so Armin wouldn't see his face. "Don't worry about it." 

Everyone who was paying attention laughed and Armin looked around at the rest of the room, taking in that warm familial Christmas feeling for the hundredth time that day. A small smile on his face, head leaned against Eren’s shoulder, he watched everyone interact. He was so, so thankful for his family. 

Everyone was cuddled up to their significant other, warm and cozy around the fire. There wasn’t any drama that took away from their get-together; he couldn’t say that about every year, if he was being realistic, but this year had been one of the most pleasant holidays Armin had had in a long awhile.

It was hardly ten o’clock, but some of his company seemed to be nodding off already. 

Mikasa shook Sasha and she woke with a jolt and a snort. 

“Going to bed now?” Armin asked them.

Mikasa nodded. “Yeah, probably should. Right, Sasha? ...Sasha?” She shook her awake once more, but almost immediately her eyelids started to flutter shut again. “Right,” Mikasa finished.

“Merry Christmas, you two. Sleep well.”

“Merry Christmas, Armin.” She went over to kiss him on the cheek goodnight and whispered, “ _Good luck with your present._ ” She scooped up her lump of a girlfriend like it was nothing, nodding politely to the rest of the family before she turned to head down the stairs. 

Armin hushed her and looked at Eren to see if he had heard. His eyebrow raised questioningly and he had an almost haughty look on his face, obviously even more curious now that he would get his gift soon. 

Eren was going to comment something, but Levi spoke up instead. 

“We’re going to go to bed too. Thank you for dinner and the pie.” 

He patted Erwin’s thigh for him to stand up and he did, albeit a little wobbly. Levi guided him around the couch to the stairs; they got halfway down when Erwin shouted “Murry Chrissmas” as an afterthought, Levi shouting back at him to watch where the fuck he was going while everyone upstairs laughed at their plight. 

Armin shifted away from his boyfriend, stretching his arms up over his head. “Well I’m off to take a shower. Goodnight, ladies, I shall see you in the morning.” 

Ymir nodded and Krista mouthed “I’ll help you” and moved her hands like she was tightening the laces of the corset when Eren wasn’t looking. 

Armin nodded back at her hastily before he grabbed Eren’s attention again. “Are you coming with me? I might take a while...” 

“Mm, yeah. I’ll come with you.” Eren turned to take the dishes to the kitchen, but Krista stopped him.

“We’ll take care of cleaning up and putting the fire out. Don’t worry about it.” Eren nodded his thanks to her and hurried along after Armin. 

Armin knew Eren was getting more eager by the second, and he hoped against all else that this whole thing went well. When they got to their bedroom, Armin made an impatient, nervous beeline for the bathroom, grabbing the two boxes on his way. 

“Hey, let me brush my teeth before you become dictator over our bathroom.” 

Armin agreed and they brushed their teeth together at the single sink, taking turns to spit. Armin wiped his mouth on the hand towel that was hanging next to him and started tearing the paper off of the two boxes. Eren wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. 

“I’ll try not to take too long, okay?” 

Eren leaned down and kissed him. “You sure? You’re not going to take too long?” He ran his hands over Armin’s chest and kissed him again. He started unbuttoning Armin’s shirt slowly from the top button and opened his mouth against his, seeking out his tongue. 

Armin obliged for a few moments but eventually pulled away, taking Eren's wandering hands out of his shirt and shoving the crumpled up wrapping paper into them. He pushed him back into the bedroom by a firm hand on his chest.

“If you don’t get out of here and let me get ready, I’ll change my mind about this whole thing.” He closed the door in Eren’s pouting face and locked it. 

“I’m gonna play the sexy playlist and torture myself thinking about you while you’re gone!” Eren shouted from the other side of the door.

“Now I’m just going to take my time and make you suffer!” 

The sound of Eren thumping his head against the door and whining like a puppy made Armin throw his head back with an exaggeratedly cartoonish evil cackle.

He unlocked the door and peeked his face out. “Go away,” he said sweetly, kissing Eren chastely on the lips.

“ _Fiiiinneee._ ”

Armin closed the door again and punched the power button on the radio that sat on their counter. He moved quickly through his routine, trying not to stay too long in the shower under the hot water, even though in reality he could spend hours in there. 

When he had finished his full routine, he stood in front of his counter with his towel wrapped around his waist. He stared at the two white boxes in front of him. 

And he stared some more. 

He turned off the radio and expected silence, but lo and behold, he could hear the “sexy playlist” through the cracks of the door. He heard Eren’s voice next and he silently cursed at himself. 

“Hey, Armin, are you done yet?”

“N-no!”

“You really are going to make me suffer, aren’t you?”

“I’m almost done, I promise! I’m…I’m putting on your present right now.” 

“What is it?!”

“A teletubby suit.”

The silence from the other side of the door made him snort.

“I’ll be out soon, I promise. Give me like ten minutes.” 

With a deep breath, Armin shook out his hands to get rid of his nerves and opened the box that contained the garments. He dropped his towel and took the panties from the box, peeled off the store tags and slipped them on; he adjusted himself before grabbing the corset and stockings, and gave the door on the opposite side of the bathroom a hesitant knock. 

Krista opened the door to the guest room and smiled at him, ushering him inside so she could help with his corset. Ymir wolf-whistled at him from her position on the bed and Armin blushed, covering his crotch with his hands. She waggled her eyebrows playfully at him in return. 

Krista took the corset from him and told him to put the stockings on, so he did, sitting down to slide them slowly up his legs.

When he had adjusted them to his liking, Krista held open the corset for him to step in front of. He pulled it around himself, fastening the busk with shaking fingers and holding it in place while his sister started to tug at the laces in the back. 

“Not too tight,” he warned.

She loosened it in a few places so he could breathe more easily, but kept it tight enough that it still hugged him just right. She tied off the laces in a bow and told Armin to turn around.

Armin shuddered a nervous breath, heavy with nerves. “Is the blue good? Is it okay?”

“ _Damn_ , Armin,” Ymir approved. 

“I-I-I mean, do you really think...Eren will like it? What if he doesn’t like i—” 

“Armin, he’s going to love it. We don’t need a miracle to get him to like his boyfriend in a sexy outfit. Just getting you _into_ the outfit was the goddamn Christmas miracle.” 

Krista went into the bathroom and snatched up the rest of his clothing. She set the shoes down on the floor in front of him and he stepped into them easily, instantly gaining height that he wasn’t so used to. 

She stood behind him and he slipped his arms into the thin, sheer robe and just like that, it was complete. 

“Oh, God.” He looked at himself in the mirror and let out an incredulous little laugh. “I look _good._ ” 

“Hell yeah, you do,” Krista encouraged, pushing him back into the bathroom. He stepped on the bath mat on the floor to make sure his shoes wouldn’t make any noise before turning around. 

“Uhh… I’m going to lock your side of the bathroom for obvious reasons, so… You guys are okay going downstairs if you need to?”

“Yeah, yeah, just go.” She went to close the door and stopped just before it closed all the way, her voice drifting through the crack. “Just relax, you’ll be great.” 

“Thanks.” He closed the door and locked it before she said anything else embarrassing. He didn’t want his sister getting any more involved in his sex life than she already was right now. 

He huffed out a breath and opened the door to his bedroom. 

Eren was sitting on their short half circle couch in the far corner of the room, his arms spread over the back. His head rested against the back of the couch, his face pointing toward the ceiling as he rocked his head to the slow beat of the music that was still playing. When he heard the door open he spoke, his head still leaned back with his eyes closed. 

“Jeez, babe. What took you so long?”

“Sorry. I had to come down the chimney.” Armin dimmed the lights with the switch by the door. 

Eren looked up and saw Armin in the doorway, posed alluringly against the frame with an arm over his head. 

“ _Ho. Ho. Ho_.” Armin bit his lip and looked at Eren with lidded eyes. 

All of Eren’s breath left him in a rush. He didn’t move, he didn’t speak. He just stared.

When it seemed like more than an acceptable amount of time had passed in which Eren didn’t say or do a thing, self-consciousness started to creep up on Armin again. He dropped his arm down from its position over his head and he stood upright, covering his burning face with his hands. 

“Oh my God, that was awful. I’m so sorry,” he mumbled into his hands, his neck and ears flushing from embarrassment to match the horrible red on his face.

“N _o_ ,” Eren’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “No, it’s…it’s alright.” He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry as he dragged his eyes over his boyfriend. “ _Really._ ”

Armin peeked through his fingers at Eren still sitting on the couch. Eren beckoned him over with a hand. “Come over here, so I can get a good look at you.” 

Lowering his hands despite the blush still blossoming over his skin, he walked over to Eren and stood in front of him. He was close enough to touch, but Eren didn’t reach out yet.

A smile pulled at Eren’s lips. “...Wow...” he breathed, raking his eyes over his boyfriend and biting his lip. He paid extra attention to Armin’s long legs that somehow looked infinitely longer and the high arch of his feet in the tall heels. 

The song changed, this one beginning with a simple beat. Eren knew this song well, and an inkling of an idea popped into his head. 

“Armin?” 

“Y-yeah?” 

“Could you maybe...dance for me?” The bass accompanied the slow beat of the song, the singer’s voice rising above the music. 

 _I left my girl back home. I don’t love her no more._  

“D...dance? Like…lapdance?”

“If you’re okay with it.” He smiled and sang along with the next line of the song, “ _Let me see that ass_.” 

Armin laughed quietly in his throat and turned around, Eren silently admiring the view through the sheer material of the robe. Armin raised his hands over his head and bent his elbows, fingers resting against the nape of his neck. He dipped down slightly and rolled his hips slowly with the music.

His breath shuddering quietly from his mouth, Armin closed his eyes and focused on the music, letting his body follow. He knew how to roll his hips and waist, and he did his best to show that even though the corset hugged tight around his middle limited his movements. 

He rocked his hips side to side, letting his legs gracefully follow his movements without moving his feet. Dropping his arms, he grabbed the thin robe around his shoulders and pulled it down to his elbows, the bare skin of his upper back drawing the attention of Eren’s eyes. 

The robe dropped from his elbows, off and down to his hands before he let the fabric pool on the floor. He rolled his hips back, showing off his ass as he bent forward to put his hands on his ankles, letting them slide back up his legs as he straightened up again. He turned back toward Eren slightly, giving him a coy little look over his bare shoulder.

Eren was breathing through his mouth, his eyes already dilated and his lids heavy just from Armin dancing in front of him. He shifted in his seat.

Turning easily on his sharp heel, Armin kicked the robe to the side, out of the way. He took the few steps he needed to close the distance between himself and Eren, taking care to sway his hips with each step. 

Armin thought about straddling Eren’s lap, but a sudden strike of anxious nerves made him swallow hard and turn around to sit normally in his lap instead—his legs together, Eren’s on either side of his. He put his hands on the sides of Eren’s thighs and circled his hips into him.

A gasp came from Eren when Armin’s ass ground against his crotch; he brought his hands up to Armin’s cinched waist, grip tight and encouraging. Armin spread his legs, moving them to the outside of Eren’s, and leaned back against him while his hips continued to roll sensually with the music.

 _Just tell me you love me. I’ll give you what I need._  

Armin reached a hand back to Eren’s neck and let his head fall back, Eren’s hands moving to Armin’s spread knees. 

 _I’ll give you all of me. Even though you don’t love me._  

He continued grinding as Eren’s hands slid up his inner thighs. His heart beat fast in his chest, his breath panting lightly from his lungs. A weak little sound left Armin’s lips when a hand gently slid over the front of his panties, Eren’s mouth leaving hot kisses against the back of his neck. 

“Eren, I want to kiss you,” Armin pleaded quietly, standing up from his seat on Eren’s thighs, the hands on him sliding away. Eren stood up and moved around to face him. Armin looked down at him from his few inches of height advantage and Eren smiled. 

“You’re kinda hot when you’re taller than me,” he laughed, gasping when Armin silenced him impatiently with a hot kiss that nearly sucked Eren’s breath away. 

Armin kissed him eagerly with a sudden burst of confidence, both hands on Eren’s face, his tongue sliding into his mouth without hesitation. He was maybe a little too eager, because he kept trying to press himself closer to Eren’s body, accidentally trodding on Eren’s bare toes with the platform of his shoes. 

“Ow, fuck!” 

“Sorry… Sorry,” Armin breathed hotly against Eren’s mouth, eyes half lidded, arousal already clouding his mind.

He stepped on Eren’s toes again and suddenly his arms were pulled up around Eren’s neck, his boyfriend picking him up by firm hands under his ass. Armin wrapped his legs around his waist, letting Eren carry him. A sound of surprise left Armin’s mouth when Eren sat him down on their dresser; the tiny bells on the small tree that sat on the surface jingled merrily with the force of Armin’s ass dropping onto the lacquered wood.

Eren attacked Armin’s mouth again and moved down, giving hot, wet kisses down the side of Armin’s neck to suck at sensitive spots around his collarbones. He looked up from where he was sucking and biting at Armin’s neck, meeting his own gaze in the mirror that sat on the dresser. 

Watching himself mouth at Armin’s neck while he could see Armin completely from behind as he squirmed was somehow so erotic. Eren felt himself twitch in his sweatpants and he gave a particularly hard suck that made Armin moan loudly and clutch at his back. 

“Eren...” Armin pulled at the back of Eren’s shirt, tugging it over his head and dropping it to the floor.

He stared for a few beats, taking in the sight of his boyfriend's fit body. He ran his hands over Eren's muscles—his chest, his abs, his biceps—goosebumps rising on the tanned skin in his fingers' wake. 

"Eren," he called again, hands roaming over his sides to feel the muscles of his back. He leaned forward and kissed his neck, whispering into his skin. "How bad do you want me?" 

"Fuck. So bad. I want you so bad." Eren pressed himself as close as he could, pulling Armin closer to the edge of the dresser. "You're already making me crazy."

Armin sunk his teeth into the thick cord of muscle connecting Eren’s neck to his shoulder, and earned a low growl and the tightening of the grip on his thighs. 

"Why are we still on the dresser then?"

Eren pulled Armin's thighs forward until his heels hit the ground, being mindful of his toes. His hands slid down to Armin's ruffle-clad ass, grabbing handfuls and making him gasp. 

"You want to go to the bed then?" he asked, turning them around with his hands still full of Armin's ass. 

"Yeah."

"What do you want me to do?" He walked him backwards until his legs bumped into the foot of the bed. "Touch you? Kiss you? _Suck you_?" he teased, pushing Armin down onto the mattress. 

"Whatever you want," Armin practically groaned.

"Whatever I want?" Eren stood over him, looking down and contemplating with lustful eyes.

"What about these?" He pressed his finger into the purpling bruise he had sucked into Armin's neck, eliciting a low moan.

"Yes." Armin arched into the touch, baring his neck and chest. "I... I like it when you bite... A-and suck. I like your mouth on me." 

Eren dragged a hand over Armin's bare chest. "Are you coming out of your shell, tonight?" He smiled. "You're more...feisty than usual."

"I guess I am," he replied, looking into Eren's eyes. "I'll...try new things. I want to make you happy. I want to make you feel good." 

He pulled Eren down over him and kissed him, arching up into his body. They kissed slow and deep, gently grinding into each other. The music still played in the background, nearly forgotten. 

Eren pulled back, coaxing Armin to move further up the bed. "I want to make you feel good too, Armin."

He stroked his hands up Armin's legs, taking the time to really look at them. "I love how your legs look in these." He stroked his hands back down and pushed his legs up a bit so they bent. He ran his fingers under the high arch of his shoes. "And these. I like these too." 

Armin smiled, glad for some verbal confirmation that his present was being well received.

Eren worked his hands back up Armin's legs, his thumbs stroking softly over the dips where his legs met his hips and making them fall open at the touch. Eren chuckled and pulled his hands away, propping himself up over Armin with his elbows.

He kissed him under his chin, moving down to suck a wet kiss to Armin's throat and felt his small Adam's apple bob under his lips as Armin swallowed. He worked his way down, mouthing, nipping and biting, spending a good amount of time just at Armin's chest.

Eren rubbed the pads of his thumbs over Armin's perked nipples. His breath hitched and he arched up, pushing his chest out of the top of the corset; Eren's cock hardened at the wanton display before him. He swiped his tongue over the pads of his thumbs to wet them and swirled them back over his nipples, getting another gasp out of him. 

Armin whined loudly when Eren took one of his nipples into his mouth, arching up as much as he could with the corset on. His other nipple was pinched and rolled between Eren’s fingers before he switched sides, giving both hardened nubs equal attention. Eren bit down lightly and flicked his tongue over the bud, drawing out that needy whine again.

Eren leaned onto one arm and brought the other down to cup Armin through his panties, the hot length hardening under his touch as he caressed him and stroked him over the cloth. Armin had his bottom lip between his teeth, chest heaving up and down over the top of the corset.

"Does that feel good?"

Armin nodded his head vigorously. Eren dipped his fingers under the band of the black underwear, barely brushing the hot skin beneath.

"Do you want me to take these off?"

"Mhm."

Armin watched him as he tugged the panties down slowly, his erection bobbing free once they were pulled low enough. Eren slid them down his legs until he reached his feet, holding the panties there and letting Armin pull one heeled shoe through.

Eren lifted the other foot to bend Armin's leg and pulled the panties over the other foot, kissing Armin's delicate ankle bone. Eren went to toss the panties aside, but one end caught on the thin heel of the shoe, launching them across the room like a rubberband. When they landed on the corner of the mirror, Armin put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

" _Smooth_ ," he managed to tease between his giggles.

Eren looked at him, jokingly serious. "I meant to do that."

He went right back to what he was doing. He kissed his ankle, and moved up. A kiss to his lean calf. A kiss to his knee. A kiss to his inner thigh. A soft brush of lips to the strip of skin that the stockings didn't cover—close enough to Armin's throbbing cock that a little whimper escaped him.

Eren didn't oblige him, moving instead all the way back to his other ankle. He kissed it and moved up. A kiss to his calf. A kiss to his knee. Fingers stroked lightly over the backs of both Armin’s knees, Eren smiling to himself at the muscles that jumped at the ticklish sensation. He kissed Armin's inner thigh. 

He brushed his lips over the bare skin of his upper inner thigh where there was no stocking, and then kissed it lightly. He kissed it again, hot and open-mouthed. Then again with a firm bite that made Armin yelp, his other leg jolting up and bunching up the sheets with his heel as it slid along the mattress. 

Eren kissed where he had bit, taking the leg that had jolted and casually resting it over his shoulder, and kissed the knee once more. He lifted the other leg to his other shoulder and caressed his hands down the outsides of his thighs.

He locked eyes with Armin and made sure he was watching him as he leaned down and laid himself comfortably down on the bed. He kept his eyes on him and bent his head, kissing the base of Armin's flushed arousal. Armin made a keening noise as Eren kissed up his length, the muscles of his legs flexing against Eren's shoulders and back.

Eren grabbed Armin’s cock, stroking it a few times and kissing the reddened tip. " _Aah_..." Armin put his arms over his head to grip the pillow above him and leaned his head back against it.

Eren closed his eyes and slipped the head into his mouth, tonguing at the slit. His boyfriend’s hips pressed up into his hot mouth and he groaned, laving his tongue against the underside of his hard cock. 

He pulled his mouth off with a pop, licking and sucking over the entire length before he took him swiftly back into his mouth. He massaged his tongue against the underside of his cock again, tracing the vein that ran there and savoring the pleased groans from above. He bobbed his head slowly, twisting every few strokes until he had Armin squirming underneath him. Armin canted his hips up, gripping the pillow tighter when Eren hollowed his cheeks and sucked him. 

"Eren... Eren..." He mumbled his name over and over, thrusting a little harder into the wet heat. Eren moaned around the cock in his mouth, holding Armin's hips still with firm hands and bobbing his head a little faster.

He pulled off again with a displeased groan from Armin and moved his attention back to Armin’s inner thighs, shifting over to caress his lips over his balls. He continued working him with his mouth, stroking him with his hand and pressing his fingers over the sensitive tip on the upstrokes. 

A disgruntled whine left Armin when he tried to arch into the touch and felt the corset strain against his movement. The warm, wet tongue returned to his cock, Armin whimpering when it disappeared much too soon for his liking again. 

He felt Eren's weight settle over him, a moving pressure pressing into his chest. His breath calming down, Armin fluttered his eyes open and looked down. 

Eren was waiting for Armin to look at him, his chin resting in the middle of his chest, just above the top of the corset. His head was gently rocking side to side, and when Armin's eyes met his, he gave him a cheeky smile. 

"Are you enjoying yourself, Armin?"

Armin huffed out a breath, settling back into the pillows and looking down at Eren over his nose. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" 

Eren shrugged.

"Do...you like this?" Armin asked him. 

"Yeah," he breathed out through his smile. 

"Which part?"

"Fuck... _All of it_." 

"Yeah?" Armin ran a nylon clad leg against Eren's bare side, letting him feel the texture of it; Eren hummed appreciatively at the feeling. 

"Yes. I love it, Armin. You look so gorgeous." He dragged his hands down over Armin's sides, kissing the smooth skin between his slim pectorals, and sitting back up.

"Do _you_ like it, though?" He fingered the top edge of the corset as he said the words, looking at Armin with seriousness clear in his green eyes.

Armin lifted his head and looked down at himself. He looked at how the corset hugged his frame, his erection laying against the bottom of the busk. He took note of how long and sleek his legs looked in the stockings, how graceful the heels pointed his feet. He looked at Eren kneeling between his parted thighs, that sexy little smirk on his face. _God_ , Armin thought, _why did that smirk have to be so sexy?_

He let his head drop back down and made a noise halfway between a moan and a groan. “Yes, I like it. I like it a lot, Eren.” He squirmed a little, shifting himself down the bed to get closer to him. “Maybe a little too much...” he added, biting his lip. 

Eren chuckled, pressing his body down on top of Armin’s. He grasped Armin’s cock, stroking it while he spoke. “I’m glad you like it. You know I wouldn’t enjoy it if you weren’t.”

Armin nodded his head, letting his lip slip from his teeth’s hold.

Eren slid down Armin’s body and took him back into his mouth—less teasing this time, as his goal was now to get Armin off. He could tell Armin wanted to move into him, legs falling open, torso struggling against the tight confines of the corset. He used his hands to guide Armin to arch as much as he could, and hooked his thumbs into the loops of the bow at the back.

Still bobbing his head, he sucked and flicked his tongue over the sensitive spot under the head of his cock and pulled the bow free. He dug his fingers into the crossed laces, trying to loosen the garment as best as he could.

He was successful, the fabric shifting around easier as the laces loosened. Moving his hands to the front he started unhooking the corset from the bottom. With each freed clasp, Armin arched further into the space it opened, but the more he arched, the more tension he put on the remaining hooks of the busk and the more Eren struggled to get the last few undone. There were only three more, and his patience was waning fast.

He growled, slipping his mouth off Armin’s cock again, his whimpering boyfriend almost sobbing in protest. Eren bit down on Armin’s belly right under his belly button, making Armin yelp and wriggle under him. He pressed Armin’s torso down with a hand and unclasped the rest of the closures, the corset finally falling open to splay out behind Armin like a pair of wings.

Eren kissed Armin’s belly button and the spot where he had bit him. Trailing and tickling his fingers up Armin’s now-bare sides, he left those hot, wet kisses that drove Armin crazy up the center of his torso, making Armin shiver under the touch. When he reached his throat, he sat up again and looked down. 

He studied Armin with his eyes. His face was flushed hot and red, his chest still heaving lightly from his panting breaths, skin a little pink from being hugged tight for so long by the thick fabric. His arms were still over his head, framing his face, and his fingers flexed slightly as he waited for Eren to do something. Armin shifted his head, flicking his hair out of his face which didn’t help his hair’s current state: messy and splayed out around him from tossing his head. His lips were red from all the kissing and biting, his eyes half lidded, threatening to flutter closed again.

He looked so fucking gorgeous and wrecked.

“Eren, come on. I was getting close.” He looked at him with such a needy face it made Eren’s mouth go dry. “Please.”

Eren didn’t waste any more time, throwing Armin’s legs back over his shoulders, and diving back down. Armin gasped, throwing his head back at Eren’s enthusiasm. His legs tensed, heels of his shoes digging into Eren’s back and making him moan around his cock, the vibration of it forcing a moan from Armin as well. He worked him with his hand and bobbed his mouth quickly over the sensitive head, his tongue swirling around and into the slit.

“Eren.” Armin’s moans raised in pitch ever so slightly and he reached down to grip Eren’s hair. Eren flashed his eyes up at Armin and knew he was going to come by the way his thighs were tensing up over his shoulders. Armin’s muscles seized up, his body tensing with a loud gasp before he rocked into Eren. The mouth latched around him, bobbing slow and shallow with the roll of Armin’s hips and catching the load that he released.

His body relaxing again, Armin let out a long, low moan and let himself go limp against the bed. Eren let Armin’s softening cock slip from his mouth, swallowing and moving over Armin’s body again, leaving soft kisses as he moved up. Armin sighed, arousal still buzzing through him. He pulled Eren down for a sloppy kiss. 

“You haven’t even taken your sweatpants off yet,” Armin said, looking down and seeing the wet spot that had formed in the front of said sweatpants. He slid his hands down Eren’s body to his legs, pulling him forward until he sat straddling his hips. 

“Wanna take them off me?”

“Yeah.” 

Before Armin did, however, Eren had him sit up for a moment so he could take the corset from under him and toss it off the side of the bed. When he laid back down, Eren leaned over him, caging his head with his arms. He let Armin slide his sweatpants over his hips and down to his knees, awkwardly kicking them off the rest of the way to be forgotten.

Eren kissed him slowly. “What do you want to do now?” he asked quietly against his lips. 

Armin swallowed and hesitated for a second, then breathily whispered back, “I want to suck your cock.” 

Eren breathed audibly, pulling Armin a little higher on the bed and propping him up against some of the pillows. Armin took a moment to reach over and grab one of the Christmas lubes from their side table and set it on the bed before settling back down.

Eren raised up on his knees in front of Armin’s face. “You want to suck me like this?” He took his cock and rested the tip against Armin’s parted lips. He feared for a moment that his action was too lewd for Armin, that maybe he had pushed it a little too far, but Armin wetly kissed the tip and made him shudder at the feeling. 

Armin worked eagerly, coating Eren’s dick with his saliva before slipping as much as he could into his mouth. Eren moaned deep in his throat, hips twitching forward until Armin’s nose pressed into the dark hair at the base. The tip of his cock brushed the back of Armin’s throat too suddenly and made him gag. He pulled out quickly, letting Armin cough. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine, I’m fine.” Armin took him back into his mouth, controlling Eren’s movements with hands on his hips. He let Eren thrust shallowly into his mouth, reaching around to grab his ass and spur him along. 

Armin moaned around Eren’s cock, always making little noises. He liked giving blowjobs just as much as receiving them. Maybe a little more, if Armin’s swelling cock was any indication of that.

Eren gripped the headboard over Armin with one hand and pushed the other into Armin’s thick blond hair to control himself when Armin let go of his hips, moving instead to grab the lube and start stroking his own cock. Armin flipped open the cap of the lube and squeezed a generous amount onto his fingers, reaching between his legs and pressing at his entrance, all the while stroking himself with his other hand. 

He groaned when he slid the first finger into himself, slowly thrusting it in and out. Eren moved back, sliding his cock out of Armin’s sucking mouth so he could speak. 

“Are you touching yourself?” 

“Yes,” Armin’s voice rasped. 

Eren looked back over his shoulder at Armin’s spread legs, the heels digging dangerously into the mattress. Armin slid in his second finger while Eren was still watching.

“Oooooh,” Eren groaned, turning back around. “What a naughty boy you are,” he teased in a low voice as he backed off of him completely. 

He pushed at one of Armin’s thighs. “Turn over. Hands and knees.” Armin obeyed, pulling his fingers out of himself and turning over. Eren appreciated the view—stockings and heels, Armin’s ass presented to him. He squeezed some of the lube onto his own fingers, and rubbed the slickened digits against Armin’s hole, teasing him.

He pressed two fingers in, wiggling them and scissoring them apart, the filling pressure making Armin drop his head between his shoulders with a moan and press his hips back into Eren’s hand. The fingers thrusted into him, curling and pressing against the bundle of nerves inside of him. Armin’s arms shook until they gave out and he dropped onto his elbows, back arching gracefully as his chest touched the mattress with his ass still in the air.

Armin reached a hand between his legs and stroked himself slowly while Eren stroked his fingers over his prostate. He buried his face into a pillow to stifle his moans as Eren continued to rub his fingers in slow circles over the gland.

“That feel good?”

“ _Yeeeess,_ ” Armin whined, his voice coming out higher than he had anticipated. 

Eren pulled his fingers back and slipped a third in beside the other two. Armin felt the stretch now, stroking his cock a little faster and rubbing the palm of his hand over the head to distract himself while his body adjusted. 

“Armin?” Eren pulled his fingers all the way out, Armin fidgeting at the empty feeling that Eren left him with. “Can I put my mouth on you?”

“Huh?”

“Can I eat your ass?” he asked bluntly. 

Armin’s hand dropped from his cock and he buried his face into the pillow to hide his embarrassment. “I… I don’t know. We’ve never done that before.” 

“It might feel good.” Eren rubbed a hand over one of Armin’s ass cheeks. “Wanna try it?”

“Go… Go ahead.”

Eren smoothed his hands over both his cheeks, spreading them and looking brazenly at Armin’s hole. He moved closer and realized just how much of a death grip Armin had on the pillow his face was buried in, the muscles of his back locked tight.

“Relax, babe,” he said against his skin, running the flat of his tongue over Armin’s puckered entrance. Armin flinched at the first contact, but relaxed slightly when Eren began licking at him gently.

Eren pointed his tongue and pressed it into Armin, forcing a desperate noise into the pillow. Armin pressed back into Eren’s face when he started thrusting into him with the wet muscle, lips kissing hotly over him when he pulled his tongue back out. 

“You taste so good, Armin.” Armin mewled at that and Eren snickered. “Just like candy canes.”

“Jesus Christ, Ere— _ahh!_ ” Armin cried out when Eren went back to eating him without warning. He reached down to Armin’s leaking cock, stroking it as he tongued at his hole. Rubbing his fingers against the head, he spread the precome over his length and stroked his hand faster, thrusting his tongue as deep as it would go. 

“S...stop. Stop. Eren, _stop!_ ” 

Eren pulled completely away, taking his hands off him as well, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. 

“Did I go too far?”

“No...” Armin moved onto his side, resting on the mattress and brushing his hair out of his face. “I was going to come again.” 

“Wasn’t that the point?” Eren laughed, and Armin laughed with him. 

“I didn’t want to yet,” he admitted. “Not until you’re in me.” 

Eren’s cock twitched at that, a bead of precome slipping down his shaft. 

“Well I’m ready when you are, babe.” He stroked some more of the lube over himself, watching Armin turn over under him. Armin smiled lovingly at Eren and spread his legs.

“Just _fuck me_ already.”

Eren didn’t think he could get anymore hard, but his erection throbbed nonetheless.

He propped Armin’s ass up with a couple pillows and bent his legs back toward his stomach, heels pointing to the ceiling. He positioned himself quickly—all to eager—and pressed into Armin, the head of his cock slipping slickly into him. He gripped Armin’s thighs to steady himself and pushed slowly all the way in, Armin’s mouth hanging open in a silent moan. 

Armin wrapped his arms around Eren’s neck, holding him close. “You can move now.”

And Eren did; he pulled back slowly, then thrust back in, slowly building up a rhythm. Armin moaned in his ear with every thrust and urged him on, the pace increasing the more Armin grabbed at his back and called out for him. 

“Armin, you feel so fucking good,” Eren panted, thrusting even harder, pushing as deep as he could.

Armin didn’t say anything—moaning and mumbling unintelligibly. Eren angled his hips up and slammed into Armin, his cock pushing fast over his prostate. Armin’s lower body jolted, his leg kicking back and sending one of the heeled shoes sailing towards his face. They both froze, the loud crack of the shoe smacking into the headboard and Armin’s fearful scream startling Eren into stillness.

“...I meant to do that,” Armin blurted out, parroting Eren from earlier.

Eren burst out laughing, pressing his sweaty forehead against Armin’s chest and gasping against his skin. The chest under him shuddered with Armin’s own laughter and he lifted his head back up. He kissed Armin on the mouth, smiling and laughing again when their lips met.

“Please don’t poke your eye out when we’re having sex.” 

Armin threw an arm over his face, chest convulsing as he tried to stop his laughter.

“I’m sorryyy,” he wailed, looking at Eren from under his arm. “Maybe we should ditch the shoes now,” he suggested.

Eren agreed, bending Armin’s leg to his chest and admiring his flexibility for a moment before he pulled the shoe off. The heels were tossed carelessly over the side of the bed, and Eren started to press and rub the foot he still had in his other hand. He rubbed his thumbs into the sole and Armin hummed.

“Is that good?”

“Yeah, I haven’t had a foot massage in a long time.” 

He kneaded his fingers over the ball of his foot and his toes, making Armin moan as his joints popped and relaxed from the pointed position they had been stuck in while in the shoes.

Eren moved to the other foot, giving it the same attention and shallowly thrusting into Armin at the same time. Armin gasped and flexed his toes back.

“Do you have a foot fetish too?” he teased lightly.

Eren hummed, thinking. “Not sure.” He pulled out almost all the way, lubing up again before pushing back in. “We’ll have to explore that later,” he said with a smirk, thrusting into him.

Armin wrapped his legs around Eren’s waist, the nylon stockings rubbing into Eren’s skin in a way that made him oddly excited. He picked his pace back up quickly, Armin moaning along with him as they edged closer to their peaks. Armin rolled his hips down into Eren’s, meeting him with every thrust. 

Armin’s breath hitched and he gasped, his bangs sticking to his forehead from the sweat on his brow.

“I wanna come, Eren, make me come,” he begged.

Eren bent over him and kissed him hard, wrapping a hand around Armin’s needy cock and stroking him in time with his quick thrusts. Armin keened a long whining moan that was silenced when their tongues met and hastily moved against one another, Eren’s tongue tickling over the roof of Armin’s mouth.

He wrapped his other arm around Armin’s back, hugging him close and pressing his forehead to Armin’s, looking right into his eyes. 

“You’re so good, Armin. You feel so good. _I love you so fucking much, Armin._ ” 

Armin’s orgasm snuck up on him and hit him hard. He threw his head back, knocking his chin into Eren’s and choking out a broken sob as he tightened his hold around him.

Eren followed close behind, Armin squeezing around his cock pulling him over the edge. They continued to grind into each other until their orgasms subsided, Eren collapsing on top of Armin when he was spent and knocking the breath out of him.

He pulled slowly out, rolling off to the side to grab some tissues to clean them both up.

“Holy shit,” Armin breathed, letting Eren dab the come off of his stomach as he lay there trying to catch his breath. “We need to do it like that more often.”

Eren laughed. “You really liked that, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He cuddled up into Eren when he settled back down next to him. They laid there for a few minutes, coming down from their highs together with lazy caresses and even lazier kisses.

“Are you going to take a quick shower with me or are you just going to wash the sheets tomorrow,” Eren asked.

“Both.” Armin sat up and pulled a reluctant Eren with him. “Shower now, pass out later,” he advised, standing up and turning off the iPod that was still playing music from the speaker dock. He padded gently over to the bathroom door and stopped at the small table that sat next to it—the advent calendar tree displayed there. 

“I didn’t put the damn star on the tree today either,” Armin grumped at himself. 

Eren watched him from the bed. “After shower, we can listen to the Christmas tree play your song.” 

“It’s not _my_ song,” Armin replied, stretching his arms over his head.

“Yeah, it is.” 

Eren watched him stretch, dragging his eyes over his boyfriend’s body again. Eren’s come was starting to drip down Armin’s thigh and Eren swallowed hard and averted his eyes, trying not to get another boner because he was already so exhausted and didn’t think he could go another round even if he wanted to.

They showered quickly, touching each other all over—not sexually, but lovingly. They kissed slowly and passionately under the hot spray of the water, taking a small moment in time to really put all of their love into a single kiss. 

They toweled each other dry and changed into clean clothes, warm and cozy again. Armin took the star from the little advent door marked “25” and stuck it in its place at the top of the tree. He turned the wooden disc around as many times as it would go, and then released it. 

Eren watched him, Armin’s eyes lighting up like a little kid who had just received his very first present from Santa as he watched the music box play his song.

Armin got into bed when he had his fill of his yearly tradition, Eren flipping the lights off and crawling in to join him under the covers. The music box still played softly as Eren spooned Armin from behind and held him close.

“Thank you for doing that for me, Armin.” He kissed the back of his neck, Armin’s damp hair brushing against his nose. 

“You’re welcome, Eren.” 

Armin turned over in his grasp and kissed him on the lips. Eren kissed back, the both of them starting to feel the heavy weight of sleep press down on their eyelids. Armin snuggled into Eren, who wrapped his arm over him, petting his back and his hair until they both fell asleep.

The tree stopped rotating, the final notes of the song came slow as the mechanism inside came to a stop. The room was still and calm. The only sounds were of the soft breath of sleep and the faint patter of snow gathering on the windowsill.


End file.
